Something to lighten the mood

Not too many of these tech savvy hackers have a cordless angle grinder in their backpack.
Try to keep up. Cordless grinders became VERY popular last year when the price of catalyst-metals went through the roof. And tall cars like this make cat-theft easier than under the MX-5 Miata. If you didn't notice, is only because your junkyards refused to deal in cats (here and now we have to have a VIN and show ID to sell a cat).

Not worried about hackers (cutting-off cats or) reading my codes here. If they get within 400 feet the 98 pound dog tells them to leave. Likewise I always left my Wi-Fi on No Password until I got one which (rightly) refused to run that way.

Yes of course there is a key Lo-Batt warning. I can ignore that for months. (My old car's warning lights got to be like Christmas...) I also believe in sudden death of any battery.

Figuring out the new frills is gonna be a long job. (The car came with 4 shelf-inches of manuals. And the manual-name is not always the screen-name, and 'start the car' is un-indexed, gotta stumble-over "Operating Procedures".) I discovered that if I try the mechanical door key, the push button won't listen, until I fondle the fob a bit to show authority. I do have to figure what to do for dead-flat fob.
It's either new or close to it.
It was assembled last week in Woodstock (near Toronto) Ontario. It was scheduled to arrive in March. So it is 2-3 weeks premature.
 
To lighten my mood further, every time I buy a car, I take the manual into the house with me. Each night I read one chapter. After reading, I go out to the car and try out what I have read. If you’re like me, there are many many things you didn’t know about.

I’m like a kid. I read, I try, and I say ‘no way, really‘? Is that ever cool! I had no idea. Then I go back into the house and yell HONEY, you wouldn’t believe this, c’mere for a sec.
The Ford Edge manual was over 500 pages so I had daily entertainment for months as by the time I finished, I had forgotten half the stuff and got to start all over.
 
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every time I buy a car, I take the manual into the house with me. Each night I read one chapter.
"The" manual? Ignoring the Sirius and two warranty booklets (Warranty and Rights), I have a very-very fat fine-print Owner's Manual (over 550 pages, in the car at the moment), a Quick Reference Guide (79 pages, not so quick), a Delivery Checklist (unfilled) with a shockingly useful Important Customer Information on the back.
"Your sales representative will explain...
"Your sales representative will not demonstrate the collision system PCS."
AND 266 pages of "Multimedia" which is really a lot about driving (also subscriptions). The backup camera is amazing!

A real annoyance is that the RAV4 comes with two different key systems and two different center-dash screens, and EVERY other feature (it seems) differs depending which I have. "It says blah blah.." "But is that for the 10.5-inch screen?" (Actually the manual calls my 10.5" a 12" screen; I think supply chain issues.)

And while it is very good, they still remind you it is a Japanese car company: "The function may not operate properly due to the condition of the radio wave." Condition of the wave? Do I stretch the wave out on the table and look for kinks? The meaning is right there but said oddly.

TIL: The gas engine can turn itself off and on at a stop. This seems to be the "circle A" switch and icon. I have not caught it turning-off by itself. There are several ifs and conditions. (I actually learned this yesterday, but forgot, and looked it up again.)
 
Always consult your owner's manual...

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So that's what that thing does!

Parenthetically, during my (1980s) drivers' ed training I was surprised to learn that 'toin' signals were still considered substitutes for the old-fashioned hand signals! That could very well still be the case, but most of the hand signals I see these days don't match the figure below.

hand-signals-4184203992.png
 
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I remember when they weren't fully "standard equipment". 1953 GMC pickup and even the 1961 Willys station wagon, the turnsignal was a standard add-on, clamped to the steering column. I have the impression that fleet buyers could omit it.

I don't think my brother's 1941 Plymouth had turnsignals. The clamp-on stalk is still available as a truck part and fit the Plymouth fine.

1964 Falcon (Ranchero) had built-in stick but only one indicator light on the dash. Just wired -across- the switch sides and leaking through the off leg.
 
I think I live on a different planet to most people, (as a cyclist) apart from turn signals, my hand signals are confined to a palm up to thank someone for letting me in, or a thumbs up for considerate driving (including stopping to let ducks cross the road). I've only given the "single finger" twice in 20 years of commuting.
 
I bought a 12 pack of the fob batteries for mine (P/N CR1632), on Amazon, and they were cheap. Just beware that Amazon ships all batteries by ground transport so you get them in 6 days not overnight.
Me too -- I bought a 4-pack and keep two in the Ford in case the key fob runs out of juice! Happened once, which is enough!

WRT Amazon shipping -- my #2 son lived in NYC during Super Storm Sandy -- no batteries to be found in any bodega or CVS. He ordered a bunch via Amazon Prime and they showed up the next day. Wish they coulda done the same with gasoline which had been rationed in NJ!